


Exercise Extreme Caution

by Angel_of_the_Starz



Series: Lowest Point, Greatest Change [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Eating Disorders, F/F, F/M, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3888196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_of_the_Starz/pseuds/Angel_of_the_Starz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Road to Recovery. “You all keep acting like I’m still recovering from what Zaheer did, but I’m fine. I’m the Avatar, and even though many people don’t agree, the world needs me. I’ll prove it to you.” Korrasami. </p><p>Set after series finale. Second part in Lowest Point, Greatest Change series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"How many times do I have to tell you that everything is fine?" Korra asked with an edge. She was seated opposite of Chief Lin Beifong in Republic City's Police Station. She was wearing a deep scowl and glaring up at the Chief of Police who didn't even bat an eyelash at the intense glare she was receiving.

"Apparently, a lot to make sure you keep believing it yourself," Lin said dryly.

"I just…" Korra cleared her throat. "I just want to help. I don't like being idle."

"I know, you make that very clear," she answered with a small eye roll. "Sometimes being idle as a good thing." She shifted in her seat before clasping her hands together on her desk. "There are times where I wish I could just sit at home and-"

"You have hobbies?" Korra interrupted; a look of surprise flashed across her shallow features. Her eyes lit up a bit, highlighting the dark bags underneath them.

"I do things outside of police work, yes," Lin said with a frown.

"Interesting."

"I didn't call you here to make fun of me," she snapped.

"I know, I just threw that in." Korra smiled. Lin let out an exasperated sigh. "Although, if I'm only here for a lecture, I'm leaving." She pushed her chair back and got up out of her seat. She let out a low moan as she swayed a bit on her feet. Korra raised a hand to her forehead before closing her eyes tightly.

Lin was up and out of her seat in a flash. She placed a hand on Korra's shoulder and planted her feet on the ground, using her solid stature to keep the Avatar upright. She felt a shudder pass through the younger girl before she was roughly pushed away. Lin bit the inside of her cheek before taking a step back. "I need you to go to the interrogation room for me," she said quickly. "There's someone in there that I need your help with cracking. He's an important figure in the Earth Nation case, and I feel you'd be successful," she said.

Korra eyed her closely with a frown. Lin held her gaze and remained stiff as the Avatar scoured every inch of her face. "Okay," she finally said. "I can do that." Korra smirked before cracking her knuckles. "Give me a few minutes. I'll see what I can do."

Chief Lin Beifong stepped around Korra before heading down the hallway. She would stop momentarily whenever she would catch a new recruit goofing off at his desk. She'd send them back to work with a harsh glare and a low growl. Korra bit back a laugh as she followed the older woman to, what she called, Interrogation Row. It was a stretch of the building with nothing but interrogation rooms.

"He's in here," Chief Beifong said before opening one of the doors. "Good luck," she muttered as Korra stepped into the room.

"What do you mean?" Korra asked while turning around. Her eyes widened in shock as Lin pulled the door shut. A second later she heard a light clicking sound. Dread washed over her body as she reached out and tugged the door handle. "Lin," she called. Korra took a step back before lifting a hand. She closed it into a fist and twisted it to the right. The metal of the lock shifted a bit, but didn't pop open. "What?" she gasped.

Korra tried to unlock the door with metal bending one, two, three more times before giving up with a loud shout. She rested her forehead against the cool door. "Sorry, kid," came Lin's muffled voice through the door. Korra softened a little bit when she heard the apologetic tone in her voice, but was instantly filled with rage a moment later. "I was asked to do this. It's for your own good."

"What are you talking about?" Korra demanded. She was greeted with the sound of creaking metal. With every passing second it seemed to get quiet and quiet. "Lin, come back." She banged a fist on the door and winced a pain shot up her arm. She cursed under her breath before rubbing the ache away. She immediately tensed up when she heard movement from the opposite end of the room. "Who's there?" she demanded.

"Hey," Asami said gently as she took a step forward out of the shadows. She watched as Korra's eyes widened. The Avatar took a small step back before snickering bitterly.

"I should have known," Korra grunted. "I should have known you'd be the one behind this. Why can't you just stay away?"

"Because you don't want me to."

"Yes, I do."

Asami couldn't help but half-smiled before crossing her arms over her chest. She held her gaze at Korra, eventually forcing the Avatar to look away. Her chest heaved with every breath she took. "I know that feeling. You don't want to hurt or worry anyone else so you keep everything inside.

"I don't need a lecture," Korra seethed. "How could you possibly understand what I'm going through?"

"A day hasn't gone by where I don't crave a drink."

"This has nothing to do with you and your stupid problems."

Asami had to bite her lip to quell the fire that was rising. She desperately wanted to defend herself and forcefully help the Avatar, but she couldn't. She knew it would have been counterproductive. So, she took a cleansing breath and counted to five before feeling her body relax. "Go ahead. Keep insulting me and my past, but I'm not going to leave," Asami said firmly. "I have plans to sit in this room with you for as long as it takes. So you can kick and scream and throw a tantrum, but we're not leaving until we talk."

Korra sent her a harsh glare. Asami shrugged before taking a seat on the floor.

"Let me out!" Korra roared before slamming her shoulder in the door. "Someone, let me out of here." Asami watched as the Avatar continued to throw herself against the door, banging her shoulder harder and harder. She didn't comment when she noticed the girl swaying on her feet, wincing, and grabbing her injured arm.

"Korra, that's not helping anything," she said quietly.

"Shut up, Asami," Korra snarled. Asami blinked and nodded slowly. It wasn't the first time in the last few months that she had received the harsh command but it still hurt every time. Korra's voice started to crack with each call and desperate plea.

After a few more seconds, Korra collapsed against the door. She pounded her fists and let out a wail before slumping to the ground. She grabbed at her hair and cried. Her breakdown caused Asami to become misty eyed but she kept her distance across the room.

"Okay," she exasperated. "I'm sick. Is that what you want to hear?" she demanded.

"No, but it's a start," Asami said gently. She cleared her throat, trying as hard as she could to remain as calm as possible. "Please, just let me in. Let me into your mind and your world. I want to help."

Korra got back to her feet before shuffling away from the door. Asami watched as she positioned herself against the cool wall opposite of her, before slowly sliding her back down the wall and sitting on the floor. The Avatar pulled her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around them and lowering her head. "You're about eight months too late," Korra muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, that is the beginning to the second story in the "Lowest Point, Greatest Change" series. This story essentially takes place a few months after the first story, and then eventually advances to the 8 month mark where this story starts. So, the beginning is essentially a long flashback before we move forward. Please leave kudos, comments, and subscribes. :) If you haven't read the first story, Road to Recovery, i suggest you do that before reading this one. And while you're at it, please check out my other stories both here and on my fanfiction.net account
> 
> If you would like to read Last Airbender/Legend of Korra headcanons, essays, commentary, and numerous other things, then please head on over to my tumblr and then click the Avatar/Legend of Korra link on the left. :) Or if you want to message me or ask me questions or something, then you can go to my blog to do that as well. :)
> 
> knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com


	2. I

**-Eight Months Earlier-**

Korra jumped when she felt a swift kick to her. She blinked rapidly before sitting up in her seat. She wiped the drool off of her chin and the surface of the table before looking over at her girlfriend. Asami Sato had her head down, writing down notes of what President Raiko was saying. Korra wasn't too sure about the topic because she zoned out hours ago.

"…And Miss Sato is here to give the presentation," President Raiko said, nodding in her general direction. He stared her down for a few seconds before moving back to his seat. Asami raised her chin a bit before getting out of her seat. She passed slid a piece of paper and a pencil over towards Korra as she got up.

Korra watched her walk up to the front of the room in confusion. Once Asami was at the head of the table, she placed her notebook flat on the table. "Thank you, President Raiko," she said to him with a tight smile. Asami briefly caught Korra's eye before shifting her gaze lower. Korra followed and peered at the paper, reading Asami's slanted handwriting:

_I know this is boring, but you have to pay attention._

The Avatar flipped the paper and picked up her pencil, before focusing on Asami. The engineer smiled softly before addressing the entire room.

\---

"You sure do have a kick, Asami," Korra groaned as she limped out of President Raiko's office. She passed Asami her satchel before leaning up against her glider for balance.

"Well, I can't tell you all of my secrets," Asami commented as she checked her bag to make sure she had everything. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be much of a sparring partner," she added with a small wink. Korra chuckled.

"Excuse me….ladies," President Raiko said as he walked up to the two of them. Korra limped over to Asami's side to give him room to walk by.

"President," Korra sneered.

"Have a good day, sir," Asami said with a polite nod.

"So, when is the hard ass getting out of office?" she asked, watching him head back to his office. "Please let it be soon. Please, let it be soon."

"We don't necessarily know if he will be voted out." She slung her bag over her shoulder before the two headed down the hallway and towards the front doors of the building.

"But no one likes him," Korra pointed out.

"He was chosen as president of Republic City for a reason, Korra," Asami answered gently. "Non-benders need to know that they still have a voice. That was part of the reason why the Equalist movement started."

Korra grunted and rolled her eyes. Asami laughed through her nose before pressing a light kiss to her cheek. The Avatar instantly brightened before turning a light shade of pink. She pushed against the front doors and stepped to the side, letting Asami exit the building first.

Asami looked up and frowned as the clouds opened and started to pour. She ducked underneath the awning and started to dig around her bag for her small umbrella. She brushed her bangs out of her face and frowned. "Korra."

"Just a minute," she muttered in response. Korra pressed her back against the door to hold it open as she balanced on one leg. She then circled her hand in the air, water bending the rain droplets in a ball of water. She dropped her glider to the ground and rolled up her pant leg before bending the water on top of her bruise. She sighed happily once the water started to glow, and the pain began to subside.

"Korra, have you seen my umbrella?" the engineer asked.

"Hang on, babe," she answered.

Asami snapped her head up. She forced her hand into her bag, jamming two of her knuckles on the spine of her notebook. She winced at the throbbing pain but forced herself to ignore it. "What did you just say?" she asked quietly.

The Avatar looked up at her in confusion. She couldn't detect the tone of her voice. Was she angry or just didn't hear what she had just said. _Crap, what did I just say? Babe? Oh man, I didn't mean to say that. Of course she wouldn't respond to pet names. She's Asami Sato. Although, she did call Mako sweetie that one time…and another time…and another time…but that was different. Relationships can be different…Dang it, Korra, how long have you been standing here starring at her? Say something!_

"Sorry," Korra blurted out. "It just slipped out. I didn't mean to say it."

"So, we're using pet names now?" Asami asked. Korra instantly relaxed when she noticed the teasing smile on her face. "How long have you been thinking of using that one?"

"For awhile now," she answered with a shrug."I didn't want to rush into it…all things considered." She rolled her pant leg back down before taking a few steps to test out her balance. She quickly air bent her glider up into the air and caught it with one hand before the door closed on it. "If you don't like it, I could use something else. How about sweetie? Or honey? Whichever you prefer."

"Maybe not sweetie," she answered, her smile fading. "It's not really fitting, after what happened."

Korra mentally slapped herself in the forehead. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," the raven-haired girl quickly reassured her. "I know you didn't. Plus, my parent's always called me that so I think I'd like to leave that with them. Along with firebug."

"That's a cute one," Korra commented. She then took on a serious face before reaching out and pressing her finger to the tip of Asami's nose causing her to go crossed eyed to look at it. "Then you get to pick the name."

Asami slapped her hand away with a laugh. "No, I shouldn't pick. How about you just use a few and see which ones I answer to, that way it's easier."

"Yeah, easy for you," Korra answered. "I have to come up with these names." She then half-smiled. "So, what will you call me?"

Asami looked up at the sky as she pondered the thought. "I don't know."

"I mean, there's so many to choose from," Korra continued. She held a hand up in the air before stepping out from underneath the awning. The water split around her as if she were holding an invisible umbrella. "Amazing, awesome, and super charming come to mind," she said with a smile.

"Shut up, Korra," Asami laughed. She hooked her arm with the Avatar's before joining her by her side. She grabbed a hold of Korra's glider and used it as somewhat of a walking stick as they made their way down the sidewalk. The engineer stared at it, barely paying attention to where they were walking forcing Korra to pull her out of the way of food carts, signs, and other pedestrians.

"I can see the wheels turning," Korra said with a half-smile. "What are you thinking? Expansions to the city?"

"No." Asami frowned. "I covered that at the meet…you still didn't listen?" she demanded.

"I tried, but I was kind of distracted."

"By what?" she asked, amused. "Counting sheep-goats?"

"No, with having to look at you while you talked," she answered. Asami smiled as the younger girl turned bright red once more. "I mean, it's kind of hard to do. You're really pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous in fact…and, yeah."

Asami snuggled closer into her side. "Thank you for the compliment, but I was thinking about finding a way to make your glider more compact." She apologized as a small child tripped over the stick in her hand. Her cheeks burned before she turned away from the mother's disapproving glare.

"Why?"

"Because you won't let me design a winged suit for you," Asami answered. "You would still be able to wear blue."

"Aang had a glider so I'll have one too," Korra said stubbornly. She removed her arm from her girlfriend's before holding it out, stopping the engineer from walking into the busy intersection. Korra looked across the street to see a red signal flashing. She rolled her eyes before waving her hand along the ground, bending the air to form an air scooter.

"Don't," Asami said with a warning tone. Korra sighed hard before placing a hand on her hip. She tapped her foot, waiting for the crosswalk signal to turn green.

"So, did you like the vacation?" Korra asked quietly.

"Yes, I had a great time," she said brightly. "I'm so glad Mako and Bolin were able to join us. I wish it wasn't over so quickly."

"I think two weeks away was enough time. Plus, you did kind of go nuts thinking of ways Varrick was ruining the company."

"Yeah, that wasn't my finest moment," Asami muttered in agreement. Every night during the vacation, Asami would be the first to retreat to bed. Korra, Mako, and Bolin would stay up just talking or playing a game they had brought along. Numerous times, they would find Asami trying to sneak into another room with a radio wanting to contact the newly formed Future Global Industries. They had to force her to promise not to do anything work related during their entire vacation. Eventually, they had to hide all of the radios from her. Their plan backfield when she kept them up into the early morning, ranting and raving about what could have potentially, and possibly, gone wrong.

"But we all thought it was entertaining." Korra held her arm out, letting Asami grab onto it once more before they stepped onto the cross walk. A loud horn honking filled the air. Korra looked to her left and spotted a food truck rolling backward down a hill. "Look out!" She pulled her arm away before wrapping it around Asami's waist.

Korra jumped into the air and landed on the other side of the street on the sidewalk. Asami easily landed on her feet once they cleared the jump. She flinched as the back of the food truck slipped into a nearby ditch. A woman jumped out of the driver's seat and walked towards the back, running a hand through her hair.

"Let me get that for you," Korra said. She pushed Asami over to store front underneath an awning so that she wouldn't stand in the rain. Korra then gripped the bottom of the food truck and tugged. Her eyes widened when it didn't budge. "Wow," she gasped.

"What?" Asami called out.

Korra didn't respond. She dug her feet into the ground before gripping the food truck once more. She gritted her teeth and pulled, eventually lifting the back two wheels of the vehicle out of the ditch and then back onto the road. "Sorry," she panted. "It seemed to be heavier than I thought it would be."

"Thank you, Avatar Korra," the woman said graciously. She reached out and gripped her dark cheeks between her thumbs. Korra winced lightly but couldn't help but smile into the gesture. She bid the woman farewell before rejoining Asami's side. She water bent the rain out of her hair and clothes.

"Maybe you just need to get back into the swing of things," Asami suggested gently. "I mean, we were gone for two weeks."

"Yeah, but ever since Kuvira," Korra started, frowning at her muscular arms, and then working through your problems, I haven't been keeping up with my workouts. I think I actually lost some muscle mass."

Asami looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow. "You still look good to me," she commented.

Korra stopped looking at her arms. She didn't lift her head but shifted her gaze up and peered at her girlfriend through her bangs. "I'm serious," she insisted when she saw the flirtatious smile.

"Me too." Asami nodded. Korra half-smiled. The raven-haired girl looked down the street and pointed to a building on the corner. "How about some noodles? You must be hungry."

"Not really." Korra shook her head. Her stomach quickly disagreed by letting out a large, and pretty audible, growl. "Okay, fine," she relented as Asami laughed. "Some noodles and then I'm going to work out for a few hours. Maybe I'll get Bolin to join. It's better to work out with someone else."

"Why not me?"

"Because you'll distract me, like at the meeting this morning." Korra winked. Asami chuckled. "Besides, you're probably excited to get started on designs for my glider."

"…Yeah, I am," Asami admitted. Her eyes lit up when she spotted two people walking along the opposite side of the street. "Hey, it's your parents," she pointed out. Korra turned to see where they were before grabbing Asami by the arm and rushing across the street when the traffic was clear.

"Mom, Dad," Korra cried before giving each of them a giant hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Your father was called into town by President Raiko to talk about reconstruction," her mother explained.

Korra pulled Asami over before placing an arm around her waist. "Asami's and Varrick's proposal is moving along," she said. "Some buildings have already been rebuilt."

"That's great to hear." Senna smiled. She gave Asami a soft hug. She pulled back after a few seconds but kept her hands on the girl's shoulders. "How have you been?"

"I'm good, Senna. Thank you," Asami answered softly. "We were just about to grab some lunch. Care to join us?"

"No thanks, I want to be able to enjoy my food instead of inhaling it," Tonraq snickered.

"Dad," Korra snapped.

"What do you mean?" Asami asked.

"You have seen her eat, right?" he laughed through his nose. "When she was growing up, I couldn't even get through half of my plate before she started to pick off of mine and ask for seconds." He slapped Korra hard on her back. She scowled up at him, but ended up smiling a few seconds later. "I couldn't say no. That might have been why she was kind of chubby."

"Dad!"

"Everybody has baby fat, Korra," Senna answered with a shrug. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Asami led the small group to the noodle restaurant and flashed a gold card to get them some seats near the back in the private section. Since they all were public figures, she wanted to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed. "So, will you get your usual two bowls?" Tonraq asked while peering over a menu.

"I'm going to make it one this time," Korra answered stiffly.

Senna elbowed her husband on his arm. He looked at her in confusion. She jerked her head in their daughter's direction and it was then he noticed her poking at her arm muscles. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I know, dad." Korra lifted her head and smiled brightly. "I just don't want to overeat before working out later. Even though it'd be good to carbo-load, I'd rather not puke."

"Are you sure?" her mother asked. "You could use some meat on your bones."

"That's what exercising is for," Korra answered with a shrug. "Asami and I were talking about it before we bumped into you. I think I've lost a bit of muscle mass after Zaheer-"

Senna, Tonraq, and Asami all paused. Korra looked at each of them before clearing her throat.

"After I was poisoned," she continued. "Then I realized fighting wasn't always the answer to get things done when dealing with Kuvira. It's time for me to work out for my health and not as a sport."

As Senna and Tonraq turned the conversation to Asami and the expansion of Republic City, Korra went back to staring at the muscles in her arms, going over a workout program in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just in case it wasn't clear, this story takes place two weeks after Road to Recovery. Many thanks to my new beta, sennafan4ever on fanfiction.net.
> 
> PS - This story will now be updated on Thursdays


	3. II

“Whoa, girl whoa,” Korra panted, tugging hard on the leash in her hand. Naga let out a light whimper before slowing her pace to a light walk. Korra changed her pace to a light jog as she fought to catch her breath. “Good run, girl. I hope I didn’t wear you out.”  
Naga whacked her on the back with her tail. Korra let out a laugh before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a few treats before tossing them up into the air. Naga let out a loud bark before catching them in her mouth. Her owner rubbed her flank before unclipping the leash from her collar. 

“Man, it’s been a while,” Korra commented as she stretched her legs. “I missed that ache. It means I’m making progress.” Naga lowered herself onto her stomach before flopping over. Korra sat down next to her and leaned up against her side. She sighed happily before resting her hands behind her head. “Naga, I need to level with you.”

The polar-bear dog’s ears perked up. She let out a soft growl, which vibrated through her chest, shaking Korra a little bit. Her owner chuckled softly before looking up at the sky. A few clouds spotted the sky, casting periodic moments of shade. “What do you think of Asami?”

Naga reached over with her tail and brushed it underneath Korra’s chin. “That’s what I thought. She’s great isn’t she?” The polar-bear dog barked in response. “She’s been through so much and she still puts other people before her. I mean, she doesn’t have to help rebuild the city, again, she wants to.”

Korra closed her eyes against the breeze that had picked up. Her bangs skirted across her forehead, ticking her eyelids. She shivered a bit as a chill ran down her body from the layer of sweat on her skin. She wiped the perspiration off of her forehead with her wrist. “Sometimes I think she’s too good for me. She could find someone better.”

The polar-bear dog picked up her head. She turned and looked at her owner with her big brown eyes. She let out a soft whimper before breathing deeply, the expansion of her sides forcing Korra to sit up. “I know what you’re thinking. She chose to be with me when she could have been with someone else. But that’s my point. What if I can’t give enough of myself to her? For her?”

Korra got to her feet and walked over towards Naga’s neck. She wrapped her arms around the polar-bear dog’s neck before burying her face in the fur. “It was you and me for a long time, girl, and now she’s a very important person in my life. We did hit a rough patch though. Everything is moving forward now. It couldn’t be better. Even my parents adore her. I don’t think my dad had the same reaction with Mako.”

“I worry that I won’t be strong enough for her, Naga, or for anyone in this world. That’s why we’re training. We need to gain our strength back to be able to take on anything. I want everyone to know, I want Asami to know, that when things go wrong, there shouldn’t be a doubt in her mind that I won’t be there.”

Naga pulled away from Korra’s grip. She got to her feet and turned around so that she was nose to face with her owner. She gave Korra a big lick on the cheek before dropping her head into her lap. Korra happily whipped the saliva off of her cheek before pressing a light kiss to Naga’s head. “That’s my girl. I knew you’d understand. Let’s get stronger together to take care of everyone we care about.”

\---

Bolin waved to Asami when he spotted her across the street. She waved back before reaching up and pulling her hair out of her ponytail. She waited until the street was clear before walking towards him, fluffing up her hair with every step. “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m getting there,” Asami admitted as she slid into a seat opposite from him. She dropped her bag and jacket on to the ground next to her. “I’m still recovering from our vacation, as well as finally coming to terms with my father.”

“I really enjoyed the trip,” he said with a nod. “It was great just being able to hang out for once without worrying about threats to the city.” 

“I agree.” She relaxed in her seat. She crossed one leg over the other before smiling brightly. “Thank you for joining me for lunch. I’m sure you were plenty busy.”

“I’ll always have time for you,” Bolin answered with a shrug. She took a sip of his water before picking up a menu. Asami frowned. She reached out and pushed the item out of the way of his face. She peered closely at him.

“What about your work in Zaofu?” she asked quietly.

He sighed before dropping the menu to the table. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the slicked back follicles. “I decided to relocate back here,” he admitted. “All of my friends are here and I’m like the normality: the food, the entertainment, Korra finding new ways to get on Lin’s nerves.”

Asami laughed. She cleared her throat before asking: “Opal is leaving on another trip isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Bolin answered quietly, “and there isn’t much for an earthbender to do in a city made of metal when they can’t metal bend.”

“But you can lavabend,” she pointed out. “That can definitely come in handy.” 

“How?”

Asami got up out of her seat and moved to sit next to him. She took both of his hands in hers before smiling over at him. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to rescue Tenzin during the Red Lotus attack.”

“That was more luck,” Bolin muttered. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

“Well, there are earth fragments in metals, right?” Asami tried a different angle. She squeezed his hands tightly. “So, that means you should be able to lavabend it. You could be a human blowtorch.”

Bolin’s eyes widened in surprise. Asami cried out in shock as he wrapped his arms around her. “Bolin, you need to understand your strength,” she rasped out from his tight grip. 

“That’s a great idea,” he shouted. A few other customers at the café turned and faced the two of them. Asami sent them an apologetic look before turning back towards her companion.

“What is?” she asked.

“Working for you!”

“What?”

“Well, you made the suggestion about what I can do with my lavabending.” Bolin started to bounce his foot up and down. Asami could tell that he was fighting every urge to not jump up out of his seat. “While we were fighting the giant metal machine I used my lavabending to cut through the hole into the control room,” he explained. “Well, not the main control room because Kuvira was in there and she’s kind of scary,” he added.

“She’s something,” Asami muttered. She picked up a lemon wedge from a small plate on the table before dunking it into her water and twirling the liquid around with the straw. She rested her chin in her other hand and watched the ice and the lemon wedge move through the miniature vortex. She then looked over at Bolin, regarding his excitement. 

“So, what do you say?”

Asami bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know, Bo,” she started.

Bolin placed both of his hands on Asami’s shoulders and turned her to face him. His excitement slowly faded to worry. She had seen that look before. It was the same look he had back during the Water Tribe Civil War. While Korra, Mako, and Asami all branched off and focused on their duties to the city and the war, he walked around aimless and without a purpose. “Please, Asami. I just…I need something to do. I need to help,” he pleaded. “Everyone else is playing a part in the city and in the world and I’m just…sitting here.”

Asami sighed hard. She instantly softened when he started to pout. “I’ll look to see if we have any openings and run it by Varrick,” she finally answered. Bolin let out a shout before giving her another hug. “I’m not promising anything,” she rasped, “but I will try.”

“Thank you, so much.” Bolin placed a light kiss to her cheek before pulling back. “You won’t regret this. I’m a great worker,” he insisted.

“I’ve never doubted that for a second, Bolin,” she answered.


	4. III

Asami hummed along to the radio as she packed up her work bag. Papers were filled to the brim, gently tucked away and neatly folded. She collapsed into her chair before slipping off her high heels, sticking them into her bottom drawer and trading them out for a pair of flats.

After Team Avatar’s return from their small vacation to Ember Island, Asami had hired a new PR manager to help turn her reputation around. The woman seemed very competent at first; however, the young heiress soon found it draining to have to constantly change her public persona, due to the newspaper article being released of President Raiko publicly recalling her proposal awhile back, just to fix her image and to seem competent that she could run Future Global Industries and just wasn’t another “washed up Sato CEO”. 

While she wasn’t as outspoken as Korra, or as blunt, Asami couldn’t help but feel reserved with President Raiko. Every time she would speak to the leader of Republic City, be it about a new engineering technique to make reconstruction twice as fast as the first project three years earlier, or even during a presentation for the city leaders, she could feel that he was on edge. Be it from the upcoming re-election or her current relationship with the Avatar, whom he has a general dislike for, she wasn’t sure but it was beginning to rub her the wrong way, especially after his past comment of her personal life during her first proposal meeting with not only him but leaders of the four nations.

What was worse was that he had made his comments in front of Tonraq. While Korra and Asami never told anyone they were together, aside from Mako and Bolin on Korra’s part, it seemed to be just an assumed topic. Even though it wouldn’t surprise Asami if Bolin had spread the word to everyone who would listen, having her business mentioned publically in a meeting wasn’t the way she wanted to relay the news of her relationship with the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe’s daughter. While he and Senna have since welcome her with open arms, it still wasn’t one of her favorable moments.

“Ms. Sato, you will be happy to know that your public ratings have risen,” a woman called out cheerfully as she walked into the office. Asami looked over at her opened office door before shifting her gaze over to the woman. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from lashing out at her for her failure to knock before entering the room. 

“Why would I be happy about that, Aiko?” she asked before leaning back in her seat. Asami laced her fingers together before resting them in her lap. She quickly looked between Aiko and the door, motioning with her eyes what was bothering he about the entrance. Naturally, the older woman completely ignored the look before slapping a newspaper onto the desk.

“You’re a public figure and the people’s view of you is important,” Aiko answered. Asami picked up the newspaper and flipped to the Politics section. She read the article under her breath, her hands griping the paper harder and harder with each passing second. “Congratulations, you moved up three slots.”

“This poll says Korra is in seventh place,” Asami explained. She jumped up out of her seat before crumpling up the newspaper and tossing it into her trashcan. Aiko plucked it back out of the garbage before smoothing it out with her hands, “right behind Lao of Cabbage Corps Industries!”

“Hey, she’s doing better than President Raiko,” the woman answered with a shrug. 

“But there is no more Cabbage Corps since we merged. Lao isn’t of importance anymore.” Asami regarded her with a wary eye. She curled her hands into her fists and took a few deep breaths. Her chest heaved with every ragged breath. The older woman watched her with a raised eyebrow.

“Korra deserves to be higher on this list,” she explained. “She’s saved this city numerous times and-”

“She also destroyed a few buildings within the first four minutes of her step onto Republic City soil, as well as the fact that she also brought her tribe’s Civil War to our streets.” Aiko reminded her. “It’s all politics, Ms. Sato, which I’m sure you understand seeing as your company’s stock still hasn’t return to what it once was before your…incident.” Asami bit the inside of her cheek. “Maybe we need to change something.”

“How many more changes?” Asami bit back a groan. She forced herself to speak slowly and evenly. “My past PR manager thought I should dress more professionally which I agree with and I have been doing. I changed my shoes from flats to heels at your insistence, I acquired a driver to take me around for company business so, as you say, I uphold a vision of power, and I only answer questions about Future Global Industries plans at press conferences. I was a better public figure when I could actually speak to the public.”

Aiko titled her head to the side and regarded the heiress. Asami brushed her bangs out of her face before picking up a pen and twirling it around her fingers. The older woman reached over and snatched the pen out of her hands. “Ms. Sato, you may be good at your business, but I’m exceptional at mine. Isn’t that what President Raiko mentioned when he heard you were in the market for new PR?” she asked. Asami nodded slowly. “So, I rest my case. Have a good day, Ms. Sato.”

Asami watched as the older woman tucked the newspaper underneath her arm and slinked out of the room, closing the door loudly behind her. She let out a loud groan before dropping her head to the desk, squeezing her eyes tightly closed. The only sound that could be heard over her raging fury was the ticking of her clock. A few seconds later the office door opened and slammed into the wall. She lifted her head, ready to shout at the new interruption until she spotted Varrick striding up to her desk.

She looked up into his face, and watched as the corner of his lips twitched. His mustache followed the abnormal movement, catching her attention in that his spasms were following the ticking of her clock. Asami rolled her eyes before rubbing her temples. “How much did you hear?” she demanded.

“Enough,” he answered. “You know, you may have the reputation as the second greatest mind in this city-”

“Second?” she interrupted. Asami normally didn’t dwell on her intelligence, nor brag about the fact, but she knew with or without the public vote that she was a well respected citizen on Republic City and held in high regard. It was evident after the opening of the city’s new infrastructure and rail system when the newspapers ran a highly praising article about the positive changes to the city after she had taken over the company. While she did take pride in rebuilding and advancing the city, during that time she didn’t have any competition so she was the go to person.

“After me of course,” Varrick answered while puffing out his chest. Asami half-smiled. He quickly cleared his throat before looking at her with concern. “She’s treating you like a child and you’re allowing it. You have run this company for three years, about to be four,” he pointed out. “You know what you’re doing, and if you keep letting her change things, then your half of this company will sink faster than your stocks.”

“I know, but what else could I do?”

“Use that,” Varrick said while pointing at Asami’s forehead, “to expand that,” he concluded while pointing out her office windows. The engineer turned and looked out at the skyline of Republic City. “You did it before without Aiko.”

“Yes, but before, I wasn’t a recovering alcoholic,” Asami muttered. “My reputation is one thing, but I can’t have it seep into Korra’s work.”

\---

Korra smiled brightly as she ran down the street and straight into Kya’s arms. The older woman laughed in shock and took a step back to keep the two of them from falling over. She placed a light kiss to the top of the Avatar’s forehead before waving her into the restaurant she was standing outside of.

The Avatar happily slipped into the booth they were shown to. She picked up the menu off of the table and scanned its contents before her eyes stopped over a plate of boar ribs. She hungrily licked her lips before closing the menu with a snap and tossing it back onto the table. Kya relaxed in her seat before ripping off a piece of the bread sitting on the table.

“So, how is everything?” Kya asked. She dipped the bread in a bit of the oil that was sitting in the bowl on the table before popping it into her mouth. 

“Great, I guess,” Korra answered with a shrug. “I mean, aside from all of these meetings.” She did a big show of rolling her eyes. “It’s a good thing Asami goes to them as well because it gives me someone to talk to both before and after them.” Kya smiled over at the Avatar, causing the darker girl to blush a bright red. She started to fidget with the corner of the table cloth. “There’s only so long I can go listening to President Raiko talk,” she muttered.

“You never were one to sit still for that long,” Kya commented. She laughed through her nose. “Teaching you healing was torture,” she admitted. “I’m surprised mom had the patience.”

Korra pulled her lips into a straight line. “How is she?” she asked quietly. “I know I haven’t written to her in a while, but I’ve been so busy. I hope she knows that I still think and care about her.”

“Of course she knows that,” Kya answered gently. She reached across the table and took hold of Korra’s hand. “She’s getting a little frail now, but she’s as feisty as ever,” Kya answered with a frown. “I’ve been taking care of her again. I’m trying to get her to move up here with Tenzin and the rest of the family. They’d be able to take care of her better and she’d be around all of her family,” she added.

“That would make sense.” Korra nodded. Kya looked at her in confusion. The Avatar smirked and a playful glint shined in her blue eyes. “I mean, we all know you can’t sit still for too long.”

Kya dropped the Avatar’s hand before playfully swatting at the top of her palm. Korra laughed happily before taking a sip of her water. A waiter came by and received both of their orders. Korra smiled and wiped the little bit of drool off of her chin as a waft of smells from the kitchen filled the area. “Look who’s talking,” Kya shot back.

Korra threw her head back and laughed loudly. She gasped then covered her mouth before slumping down in her seat as various other patrons in the restaurant turned to look at her. Kya didn’t seem fazed by her outburst or the looks from the others in the room. She just sat in her chair and looked at the various paintings covering the walls. “Sorry, I should probably act more refined since we’re in public,” she apologized. “But, I deserved that one,” she added with a smile. “Thank you for coming.”

“Anytime, Korra,” Kya answered with a smile. “So, what are we talking about here?” She looked up at the waiter as he placed their food onto the table. Kya gave him a gracious thank you before picking up her utensils and slowly cutting into a stuffed pepper.

“I need you to set up a workout program for me,” Korra answered. She picked up a big piece of her ribs before taking a huge bite. Her lips and cheeks were stained with grease and the sauce used to marinate the meat. “I’d like to rebuild my muscles. I haven’t really been the same since being poisoned,” she explained around a mouthful of food. “While I don’t rush into things with my fists anymore, I did like how strong I felt. I want to go back to that.”

Kya nodded in understanding. She slowly chewed her food before swallowing and taking a drink from her glass. “As long as this isn’t a pride thing,” she said slowly. Korra looked at her in confusion as she ate another hunk of meat. “I know how you get. Having pride is a good thing and it’s something that I admire about you. I just don’t want that to get in your way.”

“I swear, it’s a health thing,” Korra answered. “The other day when I was babysitting the airbabies, I got winded. Winded. Me!”

“Well, how did you gain your muscles the first time?” Kya asked.

Korra puckered her lips in thought. She tapped her fingers greasy fingers against the table and slightly bobbed her head. “Puberty,” she answered with wince.

The laugh lines around Kya’s eyes crinkled as she smiled at the response. Korra ducked her head low, using her hair to hide her reddening cheeks.. That was a topic that she was never comfortable talking about. As someone who was always depicted as a strong and brave warrior, Korra hated to admit that topics about body changes made her squeamish. It didn’t help that Kya had taken it upon herself to teach her as matter-of-fact as possible as she was growing up and answered every question the young Avatar had with no filter.

“Well, to grow muscles you’ll need to amp up your protein intake,” Kya answered slowly. “You do know that will mean more airbender food, right?”

Korra deflated a bit. She looked down at the food on her plate before holding her hand up in the air. She scanned the restaurant for a waiter and once she caught sight of him she waved her hand rapidly to gain his attention. “Bring me two more plates of these boar ribs, please,” she called out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my beta, sennafan4ever! Let me know what you all think! :)
> 
> knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com


	5. IV

Korra sprinted past Kya, her feet kicking up dust with every step. She gradually slowed to a stop as the older water bender pressed a button on her stopwatch. Korra placed her hands on her hips as she walked back to her, sweat dripping down her forehead. Kya didn’t look up as she scribbled on the notepad she was holding.

“So,” Korra panted. “How did I do?”

Kya looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re just getting back into working out. The important thing is that you’re doing your best.”

“And that means?”

“You were about thirty seconds slower,” she admitted quietly. Korra let out a loud groan before throwing her hands into the air. “That’s not a bad thing. You’re just getting used to this type of exercise.”

“It’s not a bad thing?” Korra repeated. “Kya, I got slower. Shouldn’t I be focusing on improving my time?” She received the container of water the older woman held out to her before taking a long sip.

“You just started this workout program two days ago! Give it time.” Kya smiled softly when the Avatar rolled her eyes. If there was something Korra was to be known for, aside from the numerous times she saved Republic City, and the world in general, it was her lack of patience.

Kya had spoken to Tenzin a few days prior, asking about Korra and how she should approach training the girl. What she had expected to be a short conversation, given the stories she’s heard, it ended up lasting a few hours with her younger brother explaining in every single detail, including the boring and minute ones, on how to be a productive instructor. Of course, she was sure he was giving her numerous examples because of her inability to stay in one place for too long. Since Kya had given him the opportunity, he was more than likely going to use up every minute he could get of her attention.

“Besides, you’re more used to intense, high energy workouts. I’m taking things slower so that there is more time for you to build your body back up to what it was,” Kya said while placing a hand on Korra’s shoulder. “I’m not doing this because I don’t think you can be as great as you used to be.”

“I know,” Korra sighed. “I just want to be like my old self.” She winced. “Not, the way I acted, but physically.”

“I understand, Korra,” Kya said gently. “But these things take some time. You will do your body some damage if you don’t learn to slow down.”

The Avatar nodded and followed every instruction that Kya had given her. The older water bender had her running up and down the stairs that led from the docks up to Air Temple Island, perform pull ups on the lowest branch of one of the trees surrounding the temple, and performing a timed breast stroke in the bay water.

As Kya had Korra walk around the temple as her cool down, Asami headed up the stairs of the island with Senna and Tonraq behind her. When Korra spotted them she waved, before looking over at Kya. The older water bender smiled before nodding, which then Korra broke out into a sprint and rushed over to them, wrapping the three in a tight embrace.

“Korra, you’re sweaty,” Asami commented when The Avatar pulled away. She scanned her clothes before smiling gently at the darker girl who uttered an apology.

“That’s something you’re going to have to get used to,” Senna said with a laugh. She placed a hand on Asami’s shoulder and jostled her a bit before turning towards her daughter.

“What are you two doing here?” Korra asked. “I thought you’d be heading back home by now.”

“That’s my fault.” Asami took a small step forward. “With all of our plans for reconstruction, Varrick and I have found that we don’t have nearly as many people working as we need,” she explained. “So, I talked with Tonraq, and he suggested that we ask for help from the four nations.”

“Your father is set to have a boat of workers coming in the next few weeks,” Senna excitedly added. She hugged her husband’s side. Korra smiled at the gesture. While it did seem like a juvenile move that more of the younger teenagers would do, it always made Korra happy to see her parents so affection. She looked over at Asami, who seemed to be looking at the two as well. “He thought it’d be good to stay here and aide Asami in her work.”

“What about you, mom?” Korra asked. “You could help too. You’re a fantastic architect. You helped build the house back home” She looked over at Asami before shrugging. “I just don’t want you to go back to the South Pole by yourself. Maybe you could help as well.”

“In the case that your father be too busy with reconstruction, I would be the representative for the Southern Water Tribe at any meetings President Raiko holds,” her mother said.

“Welcome to my world,” Korra and Asami muttered. The two looked at each other before sharing a smile. While Asami wasn’t one to complain, Korra made it known that she always hated attending the numerous meetings President Raiko held. Asami would agree in confidence, that a majority of them were a waste of their time, but she was never outspoken about it. Neither were Tenzin or Lin when they would get wrapped up in one, but Korra always knew by the way they sat in their seats, they were just as fed up with them as she was.

“What will you do when you aren’t called in to take Dad’s place?”

Korra’s mother smiled warmly before placing an arm around her shoulders. She turned and the two of them faced Republic City, scanning the tall buildings across the water. “Maybe you could show me around the city? I’m sure there is plenty for us to catch up on.” Her mother placed both of her hands on Korra’s cheeks before pressing a light kiss to her forehead. “It’s been a while since we really talked.”

“Sounds great,” Korra answered.

Kya walked up to the small group and cleared her throat. Tonraq instantly wrapped her in a hug before moving to the side to let Senna embrace her as well. “It is almost time for dinner. Why don’t you three join us? I’m sure Tenzin won’t mind.”

Korra’s parents followed Kya into the Air Temple. The Avatar gestured towards the edge of the flooring of the temple, before walking over and sitting down. Asami sat down next her, crossing one leg over the other. “Are you able to stay?”

“Yes, I had Varrick hold down the company while I came up here to give you the news,” Asami answered before chuckling, “and when I say Varrick, I actually mean Zhu Li. Otherwise, I am trying to see where I can fit Bolin in, as a worker.” Korra looked at her in confusion. “He’s looking for a job.”

“Good for him.” Korra nodded. “While his employment is across the board, it means he has a lot of experience.” She wiped her forehead free of sweat, before sighing in content as a soft breeze picked up. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yes, why?” she wondered.

“You just seem a little of,” Korra admitted with a shrug. “I mean, you always look like the gears in your head are turning, but this time it doesn’t seem to be about work.”

Asami smiled softly before reaching up and pulling her hair down out of a ponytail. “I just look at your parents and wonder if we’ll have what they have,” she answered softly. “If it’ll be anything as close to that.”

“It will, eventually.” 

“Yeah, eventually.”

Korra watched as Asami clenched her jaw. She didn’t mean to upset her, but after getting back together a few weeks ago, things still felt a bit off between them. While they both were invested to work on the new relationship they were now a part of, Korra couldn’t help but feel a little timid every time the engineer would mention their future. The Avatar knew that Asami wasn’t trying to move forward to forget or even cover up what happened in the past. It was just a topic that started to worry her.

“Remember that time when you almost wheeled me into the bay,” Korra said after a moment of silence.

Asami laughed at the memory. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know your wheelchair would be so touch-sensitive. I should have just designed your chair myself.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t,” she admitted. “And there’s no need to apologize. Now that I look back on it, I find it to be pretty funny.” Korra leaned back and gazed out across the bay at the sunset. “You wouldn’t stop apologizing every time you saw me.”

“It was at that point I really didn’t want you out of my sight.” Asami looked down at their hands, their pinky fingers barely touching. She bit her bottom lip and drew in a deep breath before Korra slid her hand over and grabbed hold of Asami’s pale hand. The engineer smiled gently. “I had thought about making one, but even _I_ don’t think I’d be able make it one night.”

Before Korra could say anything else, her stomach let out a loud growl. The two burst into laughter as the wind began to pick up. Korra got to her feet and grabbed both of Asami’s hands before helping her up. “Come on, we don’t want our food to get cold.”

The two chatted lightly as they entered the temple. As soon as they stepped into the dining room, Korra’s mouth watered at the scents that wafted around. She immediately took the empty seat next to her mother, with Asami taking the remaining empty seat next to her. The engineer picked up her plate and began to spoon food onto it before turning to Korra, holding out her hand.

“Korra, I suggest you eat two of the stuffed cabbages before eating anything else,” Kya said when she noticed the Avatar staring hard at the bowl of steaming dumplings.

“Good luck with that.” Korra’s father snorted. “She’ll eat a lot of things, but stuffed cabbage isn’t one of them.”

“Pema, took the time to make this food for me, so I should eat it,” Korra answered with a shrug. Asami handed Kya the Avatar’s plate before picking at her food with her fork. She waited for the older waterbender to pass the plate back before starting in on her food. Korra stared at the steaming vegetable on her plate. “Although, I don’t remember it ever smelling this bad.”

“Why are you eating those?” her father asked in amusement.

“It’s a part of my new training program.” Korra ribbed the stuffed cabbage in half before wiping her hands on her napkin. “Kya came up with one for me,” she said happily before spearing a piece of cabbage with her fork. She placed it into her mouth and instantly frowned as the sour taste splashed over her tongue. 

“That’s so nice of you to come here to the city for Korra’s sake,” her mother said.

“Anytime.” Kya nodded. “I know how Korra can get stuck on an idea. At least this is better than wanting to take in that whole group of polar-bear cubs.”

“Hey, if they didn’t grow so quickly I would have been able to hide them all in my room,” Korra said defensively. Her parents laughed at the memory. Asami smiled and continued to eat her food, just happy to be listening to the conversation. “When I’m back to my tip top shape, I’ll head out to the Earth Kingdom to aid the rebuilding process.”

Asami’s eyes widened and her hand paused with a forkful of food close to her mouth. She gently placed it onto her plate before shifting slightly in her seat to face the Avatar. “You will?” she asked.

“Yes,” Korra said slowly. Her words carried the weight of annoyance, as if she had told her of this plan once before. “What else would I be doing?”

“Helping the rest of us in Republic City.”

“This city is fine with your genius at the front of it,” Korra answered. While Asami was happy with the compliment, she bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying anything else. “The Earth Kingdom is in shambles and really needs someone to help them.”

“The new airbenders are currently working with them,” Tenzin interjected. “King Wu sent in a nice detailed report about it.”

“When?”

“Today at the meeting with President Raiko,” he said with a sigh.

“I knew I forgot something.” Korra snapped her fingers. She shrugged before taking another bite of the cabbage. “Oh well, Asami can fill me in later,” she muttered around the food. Her lips curled down in disgust. She had to take a big gulp of water to get herself to swallow the portion of food.

“Sure.” Asami nodded. Korra’s mother turned to look at the engineer, who was now frowning at her plate. She didn’t even seem bothered when Meelo plucked a piece of dumpling off of it. After a moment, she resumed eating her dinner.

“Korra, honey,” her mother started, “maybe Asami is right and you should stay here.”

“You don’t think I can do it?” Korra asked quietly. Her mother and father quickly glanced at each other. The Avatar pulled her lips into a straight line when her mother reached out for her hand. She knew it meant that she was either about hear something she wouldn’t agree with, or was about to receive a lecture. When she was younger, and the signal came, she would cover her ears with her hands and just start singing as loud as she possibly could. While Korra desperately wanted to do the same at that moment, she simply pulled her hand back into her lap. It was one thing to embarrass her parents in a public space, but she was also the Avatar, and didn’t want news of a temper tantrum to appear in the newspaper the next morning.

“Your father and I had talked about this,” her mother began, “and we think that it may be best for your recovery that you continue to move at this steady of a pace and stay here in Republic City. While you are working on your health, there are other things that need your attention.”

“Like what?” she snapped.

“Well, this would be a good time to focus on your personal problems,” her mother said quietly. Korra heard the pause in Asami’s chewing above the tinkling of silverware. The conversation at the other end of the table seemed to quiet down a bit as well. The Avatar watched as Asami reached out a shaking hand to grab her glass of water.

“Just for the time being,” her father added.

“You just want me to sit around and attend meetings all day?” Korra asked quietly. “I’m fine. I’m recovered from what happened with Zaheer.” She glanced over at Kya, who stared back apologetically. “Tell them, Kya.”

“We have only started a few days ago. You can’t rush into anything. I know how eager you can get and-” she trailed off as Korra pushed away from the table and got to her feet. She pulled her hands into fists before glaring at the members from the water tribe.

“I’m going for a run,” Korra announced before walking towards the exit.

“No, Korra,” Kya said, getting to her feet. “Don’t overexert yourself. Why don’t you just take a walk?”

“Anything to get out of here,” she muttered before storming out of the room.

“Korra,” Asami called after her. When she didn’t get a response, she moved to climb to her feet. As she walked around the table, Tonraq reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. Asami looked over at him with confusion.

“Leave her,” Tonraq ordered gently. “If there’s anything I know about my daughter, it’s best to leave her alone for the time being.” Asami nodded before sitting back down at the table.

\---

The only sound Korra heard over the raging of her pulse, were her harsh footsteps as she marched down the halls of the temple. She growled at any air acolyte who just simple smiled at her or gave her a war, greeting.

“Who do they think they are?” she asked out loud, looking up at the dark sky. The moon shined brightly over the bay, reflecting off of the water. “The world needs me. Why do they want to hold me back from helping?”

As if responding to her question, the wind instantly picked up. Korra covered her face as small grains of sand whipped around in the air. “I feel great. I feel like I could beat my time from earlier today.” She walked out into an open clearing and began to pace in a circle. “Why don’t they believe in me? Why don’t they think I can do it?” 

_“I think we could go for another run, Korra,”_ a voice called out. Korra stopped and quickly turned around. As the wind picked up, a cloud covered the moon, casting tall shadows along the grounds. Her breathing picked up a little bit as she heard the clinging of chains.

“Not again,” she whispered. Korra’s hands began to shake as the sound got louder, and closer. She took a few steps back, crying out softly as she leaned up against one of the walls to the temple. 

_“Korra,”_ the voice said.

“You’re not real,” she said softly. “You’re not here.”

_“Korra, it’s just me.”_

“Me who?” her voice shook. 

A warm hand gripped Korra’s elbow and gently pulled her arm down. The Avatar slowly opened her eyes. A slightly younger version of herself was standing in front of her, dressed in her old southern water tribe clothing. Her old wolf tails danced in the wind as her blue eyes glowed brightly. A smile was set upon her features. Instantly, Korra felt relaxed and calm. While facing the old entity when she was suffering from post-traumatic-stress, she would feel small and anxious. 

_“What happened to us, Korra?”_

Korra took a small step forward. “What do you mean?” 

_“We used to be such an athlete. Now look at us,”_ KorrA said with a soft smirk, _“We’re being treated like a child. We used to be someone.”_

“I _am_ someone. I’m the Avatar.” 

_“The Avatar is the strongest person in the world.”_ The younger Korra turned and faced Republic City, holding her arms wide and out to the side. Korra couldn’t help but watch as the muscles in the arms rippled with each movement. _“They wouldn’t be tied down by their parents. You took down Amon, Unaalaq, Zaheer, and Kuvira. They don’t understand your drive or your power.”_

“Yeah,” Korra muttered. “They don’t understand.” She heard laughter erupt from the dining room, insinuating that the meal time conversation had picked up after her departure. Korra heard something about water bending, ice, and rat snakes before another round of laughter erupted. She groaned, recognizing the embarrassing story that was being told from her youth. 

_“Of course they don’t. They’re not great like us, or, how we used to be.”_ KorrA walked up to the Avatar and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her blue eyes glowed brightly as she half-smiled and winked. _“You don’t need Kya to bring you back to your former self. You just need me. I can tell you your worth: you’re great!”_

Korra looked down at her arms before shifting her gaze to the muscles in her legs. A loud growl erupted from her stomach. Korra blushed before lighting running s hand over her abdomen. _“Do you hear that? It’s your body’s way of craving more control. You know your limits. Just one little spin around the temple. No one will know. It won’t hurt,”_ KorrA said with a gentle smile. _“What’s one more run?”_

“Yeah,” Korra muttered. “What’s one more run?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my beta, sennafan4ever! 
> 
> Okay, so think of KorrA like DarkKorra for when she was suffering from PTSD. I decided to differentiate the real Korra and the "vision" Korra by italics and the way I spelled her name. Also, pay close attention the italics because I use them for thoughts as well. When someone is thinking, it'll just be italicized words followed by she thought, or she pondered, or she wondered, and other examples like that. When it is used for KorrA, there will be quotation marks. I hope all of that makes sense. Please, let me know what you think.
> 
> knocking-down-hesitation-tumblr.com


	6. V

Asami’s eyes widened in shock as Bolin strode up to her, his chest puffed out, his hair slicked back with gel, holding a giant bouquet of sunburst flowers. Most importantly, he was dressed in one of his nicest suits, including a jacket, cufflinks, and pants with a crease so sharp, it would probably give someone a cut if they were to accidentally brush up against him. 

“Here you go,” he called out before shoving the bouquet into her hands. Asami glanced at the red-orange flowers in her hands, gently sniffing them, before tucking it into her arm.

“What are these for?” she asked.

“For finding me a place in your company,” he answered. Bolin looked down at the ground, toeing a sidewalk crack. “It’s a thank you gift. For giving me a chance,” he said quietly. Asami smiled brightly. She reached out and ruffled is hair, ignoring the gel smearing against her fingers and palm.

“You didn’t have to get so dressed up for it.” Asami motioned with the tilt of her head, for him to follow her into Future Global Industries Tower. She smiled and nodded as she passed workers, staff, and interns as they made their way through the lobby.

“I wanted to make a good first impression.” Bolin reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He grabbed Asami’s hand started to wipe the gel off. She smiled graciously at his action as they walked up to the elevators. She punched the up arrow button with her finger. “I could have done that.”

“Bolin, I know you’re nervous about it being your first day-”

“I just don’t want to mess thing up in front of my boss,” he answered. Bolin looked down and quickly buffed the top of his shoes with his jacket sleeve. A few seconds later it shined brightly underneath the lights. The elevator doors opened with a light ping. The earthbender placed his arm in front of the two doors and ushered Asami in with a hand on the small of her back.

“You’re not going to mess up. Just relax.” Asami smiled. “I’m still the same Asami, your friend.” She handed the flowers back to him before rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a manila folder and handed it to Bolin, taking the flowers back. “I have you positioned in the foundry, but today I’m just going to give you a tour of everything at the main office.”

Bolin smiled as she looked over the paper in his hands. Asami watched as he grew more and more excited. He let out a sigh of excitement, snapping the folder closed, and then holding it against his chest. Once the elevators reached the top floor, Bolin quickly held his arm out to allow Asami to step through.

She sauntered right up to the main desk, where a man was sitting with a headset, stapling a big stack of papers. “Are there any messages for me, Daichi?” she asked.

“Just one.” Daichi looked at her with a grimace. He picked up a clipboard and scanned the red piece of paper. “Varrick called an impromptu meeting with you. He says production is going slow with rebuilding in the downtown sector of the city and wants your input on how to fix it.”

“That is exactly how I don’t want to start my morning,” Asami groaned. She turned towards Bolin and frowned. “Your tour will have to wait a bit.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to sit in the meeting. Just to see how things really work in a company.”

Twenty minutes later, Asami was seated behind her desk in her office, muttering to herself as she looked at the designs and schematics in front of her. She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a frustrated sigh. Bolin was standing in the corner, glancing at the books on all of her shelves. Varrick tapped his fingers on the desk. She felt her annoyance reach a new height every time a nail clicked against the wood. "Okay," she said finally. "What if we made more hummingbird suits?"

"Great idea, Asami," Varrick said happily. "Now, where will we get all of that metal?" he asked. "That is the important question."

"From the scrap yard like we usually do?"

"There isn't much left," he pointed at her with a pencil. She quickly ducked her head as it flew out of his hand and smacked the window behind her. She glared at him but missed it by starting to mess with a small statue she had sitting on her desk. "Not after Kuvira used it to create some mecca suits."

Asami took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I thought she used the metal from Zaofu to make the mecca suits after she took control of it," she said. "It would make sense as to why they are rebuilding, and the members of Zaofu couldn't metal bend it themselves so it all had to be made out of platinum since they were the safest city in the Earth Kingdom."

Varrick looked up at her and stared. "That too," he concluded.

She huffed so hard that a few pieces of paper on her desk skirted across the surface. "So, if you knew this plan wouldn't work, why did you let me sit here for twenty minutes trying to come up with something?" she demanded.

"Because I can't do all the work. We're partners." Varrick looked at her with annoyance. "It should be split fifty-fifty."

"Shouldn't it be more like sixty-forty since you have Zhu Li as your assistant and I have…no one?"

"Zhu-Li and I are married now, so we are a unit," Varrick said while puffing out his chest. Zhu Li's cheeks flushed a light pink as she poured him and Asami a small cup of tea. She half smiled in thanks before taking a sip. "I come up with all of my brilliant ideas and she makes me sandwiches and tea.” The raven-haired woman wanted to send him another glare, but she knew it would have been futile.

“What if you used the rail system that you built a few years ago?” Bolin suggested quietly from the corner. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “This way you can use it to transport any metal you need. Also, there should be some metal still in the city we can use. Didn’t President Raiko mention in a newspaper interview that he moved all of the shutdown meccas in the city to an abandoned warehouse? You would just need his approval to use them,” he added with a shrug.

“See Asami, _that_ is a great idea,” Varrick announced. He got up from his seat and walked over to Bolin, giving him a hard smack on the shoulder. “Zhu Li, do the thing!”

“Yes, honey,” she answered, pulling out a radio and pressing it to her ear. She picked up the teapot before walking out of the office, Varrick following closely behind, boasting about his latest brilliant idea.

“How?” Asami muttered. She turned towards Bolin, pointing in between him and the door. “How…how did you…”

The earthbender shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “You just have to know how to talk to him.”

Asami peered closely at Bolin, as if for the first time. She didn’t see him as the goofy younger brother of her ex-boyfriend, or one-third of the Fire Ferrets; she saw him as him. The loving earthbender who had grown up in the past three years, the friend who found something to do for himself by joining the Earth Nation military, the one who fiercely supported anyone’s ideas or plans, and only looked for the good in any situation.

She got up from behind her desk, walking around before placing a hand on Bolin’s shoulder. “Instead of just being a foreman, how would you also like to be my assistant? It would be official this time.”

Bolin wrapped her in a giant hug. She smiled at first, returning his embrace before gasping in pain. “Hey, you gained muscle when you were in the military. Loosen up a bit.” 

He muttered an apology, releasing his tight grip, before placing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. “This calls for a celebratory group name. Now think, what can we call ourselves?”

“I’ll leave you to that,” Asami laughed. She pulled away from his grip, leaning against the side of her desk. She crossed her arms over her chest and one leg over the other. “May I ask you a question?” 

“Of course.”

She turned a light red, only visible on her pale skin in stark contrast with her dark hair. “Do you and Opal use pet names?”

“Sometimes, why?”

She cleared her throat, tugging at the collar of her blouse. “Korra and I have been slowly progressing in our relationship, and we have started to use pet names,” she admitted. “Well, more Korra than me, but it feels weird. Not the names, I mean, I used them when I was with Mako-”

“ _Everyone_ knew the two of you used them,” Bolin said with a half-smile. Asami felt her cheeks reddening. She quickly drained her cup of tea before clearing her throat.

“Even though she says she is willing to move forward, I still feel like she’s being hesitant.”

Bolin rapidly tapped his fingers together. He glanced at her apologetically, shifting his gaze up to the ceiling. “Well, I can’t really blame her,” he murmured.

“I don’t either…” she trailed off. The engineer tapped her chin in thought. It was then she noticed a small piece of red and white fur on the elbow of Bolin’s jacket. “…It’d be as if you put Pabu on a leash,” Asami suggested. “He will continue to move forward until something snags the line and drags him back.”

“…Why would I put Pabu on a leash?” he wondered.

Asami fought the strong urge to roll her eyes. She just shook her head before giving him a soft smile. “Never mind, Bolin. I don’t want to worry you with my problems.” She walked back around her desk, reclaiming her seat in her chair before pulling a sketchpad out of a drawer. She flipped it open to a marked page and began to tap a pencil against it.

“What are you working on?” Bolin asked, leaning over the desk. He peered at the drawing upside down. Asami turned the sketchbook around so that it’d be easier to read.

“I’m thinking of ways to make Korra’s glider more compact,” Asami answered. ”This way it would be easier for her to carry it around instead of using it like a walking stick…and just a stick to poke people with.”

“Asami, maybe you are feeling this way because you’re trying to forget everything that happened,” Bolin suggested. It took her a moment to understand what he was talking about, after all it was just a glider, a stick with wings. Realization struck her hard, and she dropped the pencil onto the table. 

She swallowed around the lump that rose in her throat, clutching her neck with her right hand. “I’m not trying to forget. It’s just…it’s hard to explain.”

“But, maybe that’s what she thinks you’re doing?” he said gently. Bolin took a seat in a chair, sitting opposite of her. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Just now, you quickly changed the subject to something about work. I mean, your relationship is new this time around, but it’s more real now that you aren’t in the Spirit World.”

“I know.” Asami shifted her gaze to the floor. “I just have this feeling that something is off. It feels like something is going to happen and I won’t be able to see it coming and I can’t control it.” Her voice cracked. “It was the same feeling I had when Korra gave herself up to Zaheer for the airbenders release.”

“Hey,” Bolin said gently. “If things are meant to work out, they will work out, good or bad.” He clapped his hands together before getting out of his seat. Picking up her tea cup, he looked inside the opening before pointing over his shoulder towards her office door. “In the meantime, how about you focus on your sketches and I’ll pour you another cup of tea?”

Asami looked over at him before breaking into a smile. “It’s only your first day, and you are already doing an amazing job as my assistant,” she declared. 

The earthebnder’s chest puffed up with pride. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“Call my secretary and ask for a vase for these flowers, and get President Raiko’s contact information. The sooner I can ask him about those mecca tanks, the sooner I won’t have to deal with him.”

“Yes ma’am.” Bolin saluted. She chuckled a bit as he exited the office. Asami plucked one of the sunburst flowers out of the bundle, cutting its stem shorter, before tucking it behind her ear. She then took another one and clipped the stem short, right at the base of the bulb, before taping it to the back cover of her sketchbook.

After a few moments she turned to look out her office window at the Republic City skyline. In the distance she saw a dark shadow flying quickly across the sky. Asami squinted, shielding her eyes from the glaring sun, to see past the bright rays. The back light from the sun, highlighted the outline of the figure, tracing every muscular curve.

“Korra, what are you running from?” she muttered as the Avatar glided off towards Air Temple Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little Bosami brotp before we jump into everything!
> 
> Many thanks to my beta, sennafan4ever!
> 
> [knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com](http://knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com)


	7. VI

Korra kept light on her toes, bouncing from foot to foot. She smirked softly, ducking to her right, dodging a foam block that jabbed straight to her face, keeping her hands close to her face. She stepped back on her right foot before lurching forward, swinging her left leg around, high up in the air. It collided with a foam block with a resounding smack. The Avatar shuffled back, before reaching up and wiping the sweat off of her forehead.

"Okay, let's call it a day," she panted, smiling happily. Asami nodded in agreement before unstrapping the blocks from her hand, letting them drop to the ground. She picked up a nearby water bottle before tossing it over to her girlfriend. "Thanks for your help."

"Anytime, she answered brightly, panting softly. "It lets us spend some time together." Korra drained half of her water before dumping the rest over the top of her head. Asami giggled as she watched the darker girl shake the excess water off, reminding the engineer of Naga after a bath. "I know you must be really busy-"

"Asami, don't think like that," Korra ordered. She marched over to the engineer, firmly taking her hands in her palms, squeezing them hard. "You are very important to me. You're the most important person in my life."

"Thank you, Korra," Asami said, smiling brightly, her green eyes glittering underneath the sunlight. "That's so-"

"A-after my parents," she muttered.

The engineer threw her head back and laughed. _That's such a sweet sound. I haven't heard it in such a long time._ "Understandable." The ivory woman nodded.

"….And Naga." Korra quickly threw in. She stuck her tongue out before releasing Asami's hands, backpedaling when the engineer moved to swat her on the arm.

"I run third behind your parents and a polar-bear dog?" she laughed, chasing after the Avatar around the giant open space in front of the Air Temple. Korra continued to run backwards, easily shifting from left to right, occasionally letting Asami get close enough to think she would be able to catch her, before changing directions once more.

"Hey, I'm her mother, her only parent," Korra snickered. "We protect our children." Asami's smile slightly faded, before she jogged to a stop. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, catching her breath. _Spirits, Korra, why would go and say something that stupid?_ The Avatar slowly walked over, pulling her girlfriend into a tight hug. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize." Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's neck, reaching a hand up in her damp hair. "You shouldn't have to." She pressed their foreheads together, breathing deeply and relaxing into their embrace. Korra moved her hands from Asami's back to her hips, gently pushing her away.

"Speaking of parents, my mom and I are doing some shopping today," Korra said.

Asami groaned. One thing she enjoyed doing on her barely existent down-time was to go shopping. It wasn't something Korra really enjoyed herself, but if it put a smile on girlfriends face then she would go along for the long day. Shopping with Asami was like a marathon. The CEO would find a way to spend all day at the Shopping Strip of Republic City. "I wish I could join you, but I'm training Bolin today at work."

Korra couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed Asami's eyes slightly widened. Essentially the engineer invited herself onto some plans and was clearly internally reprimanding herself for it. The Avatar placed a light kiss onto Asami's cheek, causing her to blink, snapping herself out of her internal conflict.

"Tell him I said good luck," Korra answered, rubbing the back of her neck.

 _"Go ahead,"_ KorrA commanded. She was seated on the steps behind the two woman, leaning back, lounging around. One leg was crossed over the other, her head titled back, her face soaking up the sun's rays. _"We know you didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but you might have."_

"Asami? I didn't mean to upset you during dinner a week ago," she said quietly. The engineer looked at her in confusion, narrowing her eyes, cocking her head to the side. "When I questioned why I should stay here instead of going to the Earth Kingdom," she clarified. Recognition lit up Asami's green eyes as straightened up.

"Oh, you didn't-"

"Yes, I did," Korra insisted.

_"Keep going. I know apologizing is hard, but you can do it!" KorrA pressed._

"I know there are things we have to work on, and some more things may come up…but I'm being pulled into two different directions, and for once I'm focusing on myself," Korra quietly explained. "This is a bit different than when I was working on myself after Zaheer's attack." She cleared her throat, before taking a hold of Asami's hand once more. "I don't want you to think for a second that I don't care about you or your feelings."

"Korra, I know," Asami answered gently. "I was being kind of selfish. How about we talk about things? Tomorrow night?" she suggested. "My treat?"

A rush of excitement fluttered throughout her chest. As Korra opened her mouth to respond, a smile playing on her lips, KorrA jumped up from her seat. Her blue eyes began to glow white, narrowing into a sinister glare. The Avatar's smile completely disappear as she took a small step backwards. Asami tightened her grip, looking at her with worry.

 _"Don't!"_ KorrA hissed. _"We need to get in as many workouts as we can! You can see you girlfriend anytime you want."_

"Umm…I already set up a work out time with Kya," Korra said apologetically. She shrugged her shoulders before rubbing the back of her neck. Asami recognized the gesture before smiling.

"Okay, then how about this weekend?" she suggested. Korra glanced over at KorrA, silently asking for permission. Asami slowly looked over her shoulder, before turning back to face the Avatar. She reached out and placed her hand on the darker girl's cheek. Korra glanced down at the ground before sighing dejectedly.

"Meetings with Raiko," she muttered. Her blue eyes then brightened with happiness. "How about I surprise you instead?" she suggested. KorrA's eyes returned to their usual shade of blue. She smiled, nodding approvingly, before giving her a thumbs up over Asami's shoulder.

 _"Good job,"_ KorrA mouthed.

"You're not too good at surprises," Asami said teasingly. "Remember when we tried to throw a party for Bolin while we were on our vacation to Ember Island?" Korra cringed at the memory. While the Krew had mainly traveled to spread Asami's father's ashes, they decided to use part of the time to just lounge and relax in their group. Bolin's birthday ended up occurring around the same time. Mako and Asami had convinced Korra to distract Bolin for the day while they stopped by as many thrift stores as they could, looking for decorations, food, and birthday gifts. They were surprised to find Bolin and Korra had returned to their place of residency early. Bolin had immediately wrapped the two of them in a big embrace, crying and thanking them for the party while Korra tried to make herself invisible.

"I was excited for him," Korra said defensively. "Do you know how many times he told me leading up to his birthday that he's never had a party?" She then-half smiled. "I will keep my mouth shut. You won't know about anything until I set the plan in motion." She mimed locking her lips up with a key.

"Okay, if you're sure." Asami shrugged. "I love you."

Korra brushed her bangs out of her face. She froze when she noticed the engineer slowly closing her eyes and leaning forward. The Avatar swallowed hard, as her girlfriend inched closer.

Visions flashed across Korra's mind. Images of Asami kissing Varrick, hungrily. Thoughts of her drinking and stumbling around, her harsh words echoing through her mind. Her stomach tightened, her lungs burned as her chest slowly began to tighten. Korra leaned her had back, making a slight noise of discomfort. Asami opened her green eyes and pulled back, but not before the Avatar noticed the look of hurt flash briefly across her green eyes.

Korra looked past Asami's shoulder and waved as her mother exited Air Temple Island. "My mom is up," she muttered. "I'll see you later."

"Of course." Asami nodded. She took a deep breath before smiling. That is so forced. I hurt her feelings, right after I apologize for doing it last week. Smooth, Korra. "Have fun," she said brightly.

 _"She'll get over it. Just bat your baby blues and all will be okay with the world,"_ KorrA said with a slight eyeroll.

"It's shopping, how can I?" Korra wondered. She turned as her mother walked up to the two. KorrA crossed her arms over her chest and frowned as the older woman passed. The Avatar quickly embraced her mother in a tight hug, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. The older woman chuckled into her daughter's embrace.

"Hello Asami, how are you doing today?" she asked. She quickly drew the engineer into a hug. Asami slowly brought her hands up and returned the embrace. Korra knew that she was still hesitant around her parents after developing her alcoholism. Asami had mentioned how Senna and Tonraq made it clear that they welcome her into their family with open arms, and every time they greeted the engineer they showed it. However, Asami still kept herself reserved, but she was slowly warming up to them, and letting her self-hatred begin to fade.

"I'm great," Asami answered after a moment, sparing a quick glance in the Avatar's direction. Korra looked away, rubbing the back of her head, taking sudden interest in the bird that flew up above.

"Tonraq has been speaking very highly of you and your work," the waterbender said with a smile.

"He's only been working with us for a week," Asami said slowly.

"Then you must be doing spectacularly."

KorrA growled low. The Avatar turned and looked in her direction, frowning when she noticed her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping. As the seconds passed her tapping for more intense, causing for a small divot to appear underneath her foot.

"Can we go?" Korra asked. "The sooner we get there the sooner we can leave," she added.

"Korra, be nice to your mother," Asami snapped.

"It's okay, Asami," Senna said with a wave of her hand. "Korra has always hated shopping. I'm just glad she's taking the time to go with me." She gave the engineer another hug. "I'll pick up something for you."

"I'll see you later," the engineer said softly as Korra passed by her. The Avatar paused, inhaled deeply through her nose, before turning on her heel. She stepped forward and pecked her lightly on the lips.

"I'll stop by Future Global Industries later and visit," she said quietly. "I promise." Her blue eyes lit up as she smiled. Asami half-smiled before nodding. She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the two walk down the stairs towards the docks to catch the next ferry.

 _"See, everything is alright in the world,"_ KorrA said happily. She walked on Korra's left, a slight spring was in her step. _"I have to say, it was pretty easy getting rid of the tag-a-long."_

"Shut up!" Korra hissed. "She's my girlfriend."

"I know she's your girlfriend," her mother answered, "and don't speak to me like that." Korra quickly looked over at the older woman, her cheeks turning a bright red. It was then she realized that her mother had either said something or asked her a question at the same time KorrA did.

"Sorry, mom," she muttered. Korra turned and glared at KorrA, who stuck her tongue out in response.

"Are you okay, honey?"

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind." As they neared the end of the docks, Korra stepped back and filed behind her mother onto the ferry. Glancing over her shoulder, she didn't spot KorrA anywhere. As they ferry left the dock, she scanned the shore. Her old self had dissapeared into thin air. She breathed easily, relaxing, and inhaling the salty spray of the water. "Anyway…Welcome to Republic City," she announced.

"I've been here before," her mother reminded her.

"And yet, you've never really had time to explore it," Korra pointed out. She looked up at the top of the ferry, frowning when she spotted KorrA reclined back against the mast that held the city's flag. Her eyes were closed and her hands were resting behind her head. "I'll be your personal tour guide. First stop, Narooks."

At the mention of the restaurant, KorrA's eyes snapped open, glowing white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think. :) [knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com](http://knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com)


	8. VII

Senna shuffled down the hallway, yawning, and rubbing her eyes. Upon reaching Korra's bedroom door, she walked over and pressed her ear to the door. Expecting to hear the loud sounds of her daughter's snoring, she was surprised to find silence enveloping her ear. Senna quietly slid the door open, before peering inside.

Korra's bed was empty and unmade, sheets rumpled and spilling to the floor. The window in the room was open, filling the space with cool air. The drawers to the dresser were pulled out, clothes spilling onto the floor. Senna smiled at the ambiance of the room, before closing the door and heading into the dining room.

Kya was seated at the table holding Rohan and talking quietly with Pema. Rohan was playing with his most treasured item, a stuffed lemur. He waved the tail around in the air, occasionally striking Kya in the cheek, who would just laugh and ruffle his hair in response. An air acolyte entered the room and placed steaming hot plates onto the table in front of them.

"Good morning," Senna greeted them as she took a seat at the table.

"Morning, Senna. Will Tonraq be joining us?" Pema questioned.

"No, he went into work early to assist Asami with some things," she answered. "Where's Korra?" Kya shrugged. She slipped the stuffed lemur out of Rohan's hands before tapping his nose with the toy's. He giggled happily, clapping his hands together. "She wasn't in her room, so I thought she'd be with you."

"Why would she be with me?" Kya asked.

"I just assumed that you two changed her workout time from this evening to the morning."

Kya frowned. She handed the two back to Rohan. "We don't have a scheduled time today," she answered. "I gave her the day off."

"Morning!" Korra called out cheerfully as she entered the room. Kya and Senna exchanged a look before turning to face the Avatar as she walked up to them. Stopping a few feet away, she began to jog lightly in place.

"You're awake?" Kya asked.

"Yeah." Korra nodded.

"You do know that it's nine in the morning, right?" her mother added.

"Yeah," she answered slowly. "I couldn't sleep. I woke up around six and tried to fall back asleep but I had so much energy that I decided to watch the sunrise."

"You did?"

"Yeah, and it was so cool." Korra smiled brightly. She stopped jogging in place, panting lightly. She waved her hand in the air, whisking the sweat off of her body and forming it into a ball. Pitched the sweat over her shoulder, she doused a nearby plant. Pema clicked her tongue before shaking her head. "Did you know that some flowers open when the sunlight hits them? And then, they follow the movement of where the sun is," she explained.

"Korra, they're called sunflowers," Pema said with a giggle.

"Interesting. Anyway, I just got back from walking Naga," Korra said as she plopped down in an empty space at the table. She picked up her plate and began to serve herself a large portion of eggs. "Now, I am hungry."

"Don't fill up too much," her mother advised.

"Why not?" Korra added two biscuits and a spoonful of oatmeal onto her plate, along with three pieces of fruit. She unfolded a napkin and placed it over her lap before digging into her food. She smiled happily when the flavors of the food coated her tongue. She stuffed more forkfuls of food into her mouth, causing her cheeks to puff up.

"Well, for someone who is in training, doesn't it negate the affects you're working towards by eating a lot?" she asked. Korra slowly stopped chewing, a forkful of food close towards her mouth. She lifted her napkin and dabbed at her lips. "Plus, you may end up throwing it all back up."

"That is true, but Korra's always had an appetite," Kya said with a shrug.

 _She has a point you know,_ KorrA said with a shrug. Korra turned to look in the direction her voice came from; glaring when she spotted her plate filled twice as much as hers. KorrA winked before tying a napkin around her neck. _You should cut back a bit. You've lost a bit of weight, but your muscle mass hasn't changed yet._

Korra loudly swallowed her mouthful of food before shaking her head. She widened her blue eyes, taking on a look of confusion and surprise. "…I guess I forgot what Kya told me," she muttered.

_That's the best you can come up with?_

"And what's this about working out today?" she pressed. "Kya told me she gave you the day off. Yesterday, you told Asami that you wouldn't be able to have dinner with her because you were working out."

"Why were you even eavesdropping on my conversation with Asami, anyway?" Korra snapped, suddenly filled with rage. Her hand shook as she reached out for her glass of water on the table. She ignored her mother, whose eyes widened in shock. KorrA dropped her fork, her jaw open in shock. She ripped the napkin from around her neck before applauding, her face lit up in a dazzling smile. "It's none of your business."

Pema, Kya, and even Rohan, all froze at the scene that unfolded before them. Pema cleared her throat and thanked the air acolyte who passed her a warm cup of tea. "I wasn't eavesdropping, honey," her mother said gently. "Being in an open area doesn't really count as-"

"Never mind." Korra shoved her plate away, a little bit of the eggs and oatmeal slipped over the curved edge, splattering onto the floor. "I have a bit of a headache," she muttered. "It's probably because of how early I got up this morning." Korra climbed to her feet before storming towards the door. "Breakfast was good, Pema, what I ate of it at least."

KorrA grabbed her napkin and filled it with fruit and biscuits before climbing to her feet and following Korra out of the room. _Did you see the looks on their faces?_ she asked with glee. _That's how you get people to respect you. You want to make a change and you will do it, whether they like it or not._

"Korra," her mother called out. "Wait a second, please."

_Ooooh, she used her mom voice!_

"No need to point that out," Korra muttered as she slowed to a stop. She tilted her head back, sighing heavily, before slowly turning to face her mother as she walked up. "What is it?" she sighed.

Korra grunted in surprise as her mother stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. She instantly relaxed when she felt her mother's hand in her hair, at the base of her head, lightly scratching the skin with her nails. It was a soothing sensation to Korra, something her mother would do a lot when she was a child. "I understand that you're going through some changes," he mother said gently before pulling back. She placed her hands onto her daughter's shoulders, her jaw firmly set. "I don't care if we're in Republic City or in the South, you don't speak to me like that. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mom." Korra nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Her mother placed a hand on Korra's cheek, lightly cupping it. Korra lifted her hand and placed it on top of her mother's, leaning more into her warmth. "I know you aren't one to ask for help, but please, don't push us away when we're here to support you," she added. "Anyway, if you aren't working with Kya today, why don't you just take some time to yourself and relax? Everyone deserves some time off, even the Avatar."

"You're right," Korra agreed. "I'm going to head into town and just walk around for a bit." She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. She then stuck two fingers in her mouth and blew hard, radiating a shrill whistle into the air. Naga's loud bark came from the distance. Korra waved to her mother before running out of the temple towards the docks, with Naga running to join her.

In Republic City, Korra breathed in the morning air. She slowed her walk, enjoying the stillness of the city as it slowly began to wake up. Cart merchants began to set up their shops and women swept the steps in front of the stores. The smell of freshly baked bread lingered on the air, causing Korra's mouth to water.

As Korra waited at a stoplight, she looked off down the street watching a few of the early shoppers walking around. She cocked her head to the side and peered closely when she caught sight of dark hair pulled back into a pony tail. When the small crowd parted, and spotted a pair of high-end shoes, Korra stomped her foot onto the ground. A piece of rock popped up under her feet, propelling herself into the air, up and above the busy street. The minute she landed on the opposite side, she rolled into a summersault, before jumping up and running down the sidewalk.

"Hey Asami," Korra called out. Asami jumped, tightly clenching a piece of paper in her hand. She took a deep breath before turning and facing the Avatar as she ran up. Asami smiled at the bright and eager smile on her face. She brought a hand up to fix her hair and flinched when she felt paper scratch across her cheek.

"Korra!" Asami greeted her, moving her hand, with the paper in her fist, behind her back. Asami reached up with her left hand and fiddled with the earring in her earlobe. "What are you _doing_ here?" she asked.

"I have some free time this morning, so I thought I'd walk around the city," Korra answered slowly. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is," Asami answered with a nod. "Didn't you do that the yesterday with your mom?"

"Yes, but this time I get to go to the stores that I want to go to."

Asami smiled; her shoulders slowly relaxed. She reached out and placed a hand on Korra's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "I know you aren't fond of shopping, but you don't have to go to the stores that your mom likes, just to make her happy," she pointed out.

"Yes, I do." Korra nodded rapidly. She shifted from foot to foot, looking at the ground shyly. "My mom likes shopping, and I don't. So we comprise, she buys me stuff and I accept them." Asami snickered. "Seriously though, I don't get to see her a lot, so if that means I have to spend the day doing an activity she likes and I don't, it's worth it to be able to be with her."

Asami cleared her throat, slowly pulling her hand away. Korra frowned at the loss of contact. She looked over into Asami's green eyes, noticing that they turned a slight shade darker. "I guess I wouldn't know," she whispered. Korra winced.

Way to go, stupid, KorrA scoffed.

Korra placed an arm around Asami's shoulders, ignoring the slight straight by their height difference. "Well, then, next time you are definitely coming with us," she said with a smile. Asami looked over at her and couldn't help but smile when the Avatar winked before giving her a thumbs up. "I could use a distraction."

"If I go, you would need Bolin to go as well," Asami pointed out, "because I love to go shopping."

"That's a good point." Korra tapped her chin in thought. "He would definitely keep me entertained."

"As long as we keep him away from the mannequins," Asami giggled.

Korra busted out laughing. She removed her arm from Asami's shoulders, jostling her lightly. She then slipped her hand into Asami's, before lightly tugging her in the opposite direction. Korra quickly wrapped an arm around the engineer's waist, as she slightly tripped over her feet.

"So, are you free?" Korra asked. "We can have breakfast. How about it, sparky?"

"Sparky?" Asami repeated with a laugh.

Korra shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was trying to come up with a good nickname for you," she said with a grimace. "It sounded good in my head, yknow, because you're an engineer. And yet, the minute I said it…"

"It's okay," Asami said with a warm smile. She tugged at her hand, trying to pull it out of Korra's grasp, who in turn, only tightened her hold. "I'm not too fond of sparky. I mean, it's not like I'm a lightning bender like Mako."

"I'll come up with something," Korra reassured her. "So, breakfast?"

"No," Asami said slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, Korra noticed her tucking the crumpled wad of paper into her pocket. "…um…actually, I'm just on break from work."

"This early in the morning?"

"I've been working since five am," Asami said with a shrug. Korra peered closely at her before nodding in understanding. While Asami was fantastic with a makeup brush, Korra did notice the dark bags underneath her eyes. While faint, they were just noticeable. "I just came here…too grab some coffee." Korra looked down at their interlocked hands, and then to the hand hidden behind Asami's back before raising an eyebrow. Asami flushed lightly. "They didn't have the flavor I wanted."

"Oh, right." The two stared at each other, an uncomfortable silence stretching in between them. "I guess I'll see you later, then," she muttered.

"I'll come find you." Asami squeezed Korra's hand before pulling away. "Have a good day." She gave a small wave before hurrying down the street.

"Bye," Korra said quietly, watching Asami's retreating back.

She's up to something, KorrA said the minute Asami turned around the corner. Korra exhaled sharply through her nose, ignoring her twinging, before turning to see KorrA lounging on a bench, her arms resting against the back, her feet out and pressed firmly onto the ground slouching.

"N-no," Korra answered, biting the inside of her cheek at her hesitation. "She's just busy."

 _She seemed real eager to get rid of you,_ KorrA taunted.

"Asami loves working and sometimes she gets really caught up in it." Korra stuck her foot out, kicking KorrA's left knee, drawing her legs closed. "I think she just has a project that has made some advancements."

_If that were true, she would have told you about it._

"…Good point." Korra rolled her shoulders back before heading down the sidewalk, glancing into the shop store windows as she passed. A light crinkling sound filled the air, interrupting the stillness of the city. She paused, looking down to see a piece of paper underneath her foot. "What's this?"

KorrA bent down and snatched the paper out from underneath her foot. She unfolded it and scanned its contents, her eyebrows raising in surprise. She waved the paper in the air, smirking. _Do you believe me now?_

Korra held her hand out, receiving the paper from KorrA who slapped it hard into her palm. She rolled her eyes before glancing down at the paper. Her stomach dropped, a loud buzzing filled her ears, her throat instantly went dry, and her hands shook as she read the words on the page:

_32 Yue St. Suite 4B. 9:30am._

_-Mako_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! :) If you have any questions or just want to chat, then hit me up! My tumblr ask box is always open, to anon or signed in users. 
> 
>  
> 
> [knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com](http://knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com)


	9. VIII

Korra stared across the table at Mako and Asami as she robotically lifted her fork to her mouth to consume her food. The two were having a quiet conversation, so quiet that Korra harshly shushed Bolin numerous times, just so she could strain to hear the conversation. After she noticed Bolin's silence from her left lasting longer than a few minutes, she finally gave him her full attention.

"Sorry for being a pain, Bo," Korra said quietly.

He shrugged a shoulder, widening his green eyes while turning to face her. "It's no big deal," he answered. Korra watched as he leaned over to

"Yes, it is. You are excited about your job. I'm listening, I am

_I don't blame you for not wanting to listen,_ KorrA snickered. _That's all he ever talks about._

"Shhh," Korra snapped. Bolin instantly stopped talking. "No, not you!" she insisted. Bolin exhaled slowly. He slumped his shoulders before leaning forward and blowing on his noodles. "Come on, I want to hear about work. It's important to you."

"Forget about it," Bolin said. "No one is listening." He pointed across the table with his chopsticks. Korra really didn't want to look, but KorrA was whispering in her ear, making comments about how cute Mako and Asami looked together that she ended up sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eye.

Asami had leaned close to Mako, angling her head to the side so that he could whisper into her ear.

"Yeah, I guess their conversation is _so important,_ " she said loudly. Mako and Asami paused and looked at her in confusion across the table. Bolin took a quick glance at the tables around them. All movement had stopped for a few seconds. He slowly sunk down in his chair. Korra gripped her fork tightly, pressing her thumb against the prongs. It easily bent out of shape. Korra looked at it with satisfaction before dropping it onto the table.

_Don't forget, you can metalbend,_ KorrA pointed out.

"That wasn't what I meant," Bolin whispered. He quickly glanced to his right upon hearing movement. A young kid shyly walked up to him, holding a Nuktuk movie poster in his hands. Bolin smiled softly and quickly signed the poster for him. The kid smiled brightly, carefully receiving it from him.

"We didn't mean to leave you two out," Asami apologized. She looked over at Mako before flipping her hair over her shoulder, away from her food. Normally, Korra would find the movement captivating, but right now it made her want to crumple up the fork in her hand.

_I think she just tried to flirt with him,_ KorrA commented.

"What were you talking about?" Korra demanded. Her stomach growled loudly. She glanced down at her plate, noting the food that had gone untouched for so long. A waiter came by and picked the plate up, offering to reheat it for her. She smiled graciously up at him, but her scowl returned as soon as he left.

"…Oh, nothing important," Mako answered with a shrug. He cleared his throat before reaching up to adjust the scarf around his neck. He stopped upon remembering that he didn't have it on anymore.

Korra scoffed at the movement. She knew that whenever he was uncomfortable about a situation, Mako would fidget with the scarf around his neck. Ever since he had gifted it to his Grandmother Yin, she would still catch him wanting to mess with the scarf.

"Of course," she muttered.

Mako exhaled sharply. He pushed his empty plate away from him before leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "What's up, Korra?" he insisted. Asami placed a hand on his arm and slowly shook her head.

"Oh, nothing important." Korra raised a shoulder. Asami and Mako looked over at Bolin, silently asking for his opinion, but he had slipped so low in his chair that all they saw was the top of his forehead. "Just my close friend and my girlfriend sneaking around behind my back."

Asami, who had at that moment decided to take a sip of her tea, began to choke on the hot liquid. She quickly picked up a napkin and held it to her mouth as she tried not to spit up on herself. Forcing herself to swallow, she let out a few light coughs as Mako patted her on the back. "We're not sneaking," she forced out.

_No, you just find every excuse to touch each other,_ KorrA commented

"No, you just find every excuse to touch each other," Korra pointed out, raising an eyebrow. Mako quickly removed his hand from Asami's back. Bolin slumped even lower in his chair. Only his hand was visible as he reached up and scooped some more noodles out of his bowl. A moment later it disappeared beneath the table and a loud slurp broke the sudden silence.

The waiter came back with Korra's reheated plate. She sent him a gracious smile before angrily stabbing into her meat with her bent fork. Mako and Asami jumped at the fast motion. "I saw the note. If you don't want to be with me anymore, you could have just said so."

"What are you talking about?" Asami asked.

"You've been sneaking around behind my back," Korra shouted.

"No, we haven't," Mako insisted.

"Korra, please keep your voice down," Asami said gently, stealing a glance at the tables around them. She sent a family of four an apologetic look as the parents quickly scooped up their young children and rushed away.

"Don't talk to me like a child," Korra snapped, gnawing on a large piece of meat.

"Korra, you have this all wrong," Mako said.

"You two meet up every morning at 9:30am." Korra made a big show of swallowing the hunk of meat in her mouth before tossing her fork onto the table. She crossed her arms over her chest, a fierce scowl making its way across her face. "It's a hotel. I'm not stupid."

Asami and Mako remained silent. After a pregnant pause, Asami exhaled slowly. "How?" she asked.

_So they admit it?_ KorrA's gasped.

"From this; you dropped it two weeks ago." Korra reached into her pocket and pulled out the crumbled piece of paper. Asami held out her hand to received it, but Korra tossed it onto the tabletop instead.

Asami nonchalantly unfolded the piece of paper and glanced at its contents. "Let's talk about this in private," she suggested.

"There's nothing to talk about, it's obvious."

"No, it isn't," Asami said gently. She carefully folded the paper back up before placing it onto the table. "We're always able to talk about things. Please, let's just go talk."

Korra slowly shook her head. She reached into her pocket and tossed some spare coins onto the table. "…I have to meet Kya." With that, she jumped up out of her seat before heading towards the door. She paused, upon seeing numerous people outside of the restaurant's windows peering inside, cameras pressed against the glass.

"Korra," Asami called after her.

Korra stepped out of the restaurant and was instantly bombard with questions and the flash of camera in her face. She rolled her eyes before pushing her way past all of them and storming down the street.

_Good, put your priorities first!_ KorrA congratulated her as they made their way down the street. She had a bit more pep in her step. _Now, let's get back to work._

As Korra continued down the street she soon heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Rolling her eyes, she stopped and threw her hands up in the air. "What part of me not answering your questions makes you think I'll answer now?" she shouted.

Before she felt a hand on her arm, the familiar scent of vanilla and burning leaves filled her nose, quickly calming her. Asami pulled Korra into a small alleyway. "AA," she said.

"What?" Korra blinked.

"I've been going to AA meetings," Asami explained. Korra raised an eyebrow, slowly tilting her head to the side in confusion. "Alcoholics Anonymous," Asami continued. "That's where I meet Mako. He went through connections with his job to help me. That's it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Korra asked.

"Because I was worried about your reaction," she said. "You tend to fly off the handle sometimes," she pointed out.

"Sorry." Korra reached up and rubbed the back of her neck.

"And since when do you own me?" Asami crossed her arms over her chest.

"…You're my…we're…" Korra trailed off as she pointed at herself and then Asami.

Asami half-smiled before reaching out and taking Korra's hand. "Yes, we are, but that doesn't mean I'm property," she added. "I know we said we were to take this slowly, but I'm going to need you to trust me."

"Okay." Korra nodded rapidly.

"We also need to be able to tell each other things. It may not be easy, but we will have to do it to make sure we're okay. Not just for our relationship, but for our friendship and our friends. Our group won't work if we keep things bottled up and then explode on each other."

Korra snickered. "Bottled up." Her smile quickly faded as Asami raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," she quickly apologized.

"No…it's fine." Asami cleared her throat. "Things are easier to deal with if they can be made fun of from time to time." She then made sure to look Korra directly in the eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Korra quickly answered. "Anyway, I have to go." She pointed over her shoulder. Asami forced herself not to make any subtle changes to her face when she spotted Kya walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Shopping bags from various fragrance stories lined her arms.

"You're meeting her now?"

"Yes, why? I have my schedule right here." Korra tapped her left pocket. "I ordered all that meat to get some protein in." Asami slowly nodded in understanding.

_That was so fake, KorrA commented._

"What's wrong?" Korra asked. She swallowed. "Don't you trust me?"

Asami hesitated for a moment before answering, "Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my new twitter, [@AngelofStarzFFN](https://twitter.com/AngelofStarzFFN), for updates on all of my works!


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